Tell us about your game today...

First topic message reminder :

Fresh thread - you know the score: share some of your tales of woe, indifference and banditry with us all.

Spoke too soon yesterday. Went again today and that's another x months with no golf! Hey ho.

puligny wrote:Spoke too soon yesterday. Went again today and that's another x months with no golf! Hey ho.

Ouch!! What you done Puligny?

Not so much game today but a summary of the last three weeks, have managed 14 and a half rounds since I left the UK on Dec 11th. Played Pasatiempo, Spyglass Hill, The Links at Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach (twice), Koolina (twice + the back 9 with Scott Simpson), Ko’olau, Princeville Makai (3 times), Princeville Prince (twice) and Kauai Lagoons.


Best round was a 75 on the Makai, worst was 88 on Spanish Bay (I’ve never played that course well and I don’t know why)

Many memorable moments but taking the biscuit was holing out an 8 iron 3rd shot on the 2nd at Pebble for eagle. Ended up with an 82 which is my best round there in four attempts.

Also ended up with quite a few rounds where the back 9 was significantly better than the front. Biggest contrast being at Spyglass, out in a horrendous 49 back in a very respectable 37, completely different golfer!!...and it’s not like I don’t warm up. I’m beginning to think there must be something not quite right with my warm up but not a clue what.

Biggest disappointment came on the 75 round at the Makai, standing on the Par 5 18th tee 1 over gross, absolutely ripped a drive down the Tiger line, flirting with the long water carry but made the fairway leaving me a mere 8 iron (across more water) to the green. So...8 iron single putt for an under par round?? Nope, chunked it into the water!! I’ve been pleased with my temperament generally the whole trip (it has needed work) but that was the one point where the old JAS expletives leaked out into the warm Hawaiian air.

I know the weather back home’s been a bit mince. It hasn’t been as good as my locations might suggest... long sleeves were required in California as were the Galvin Greens (on the Monday round at PB it bucketed down from hole 13 in). The GGs were also required in Hawaii, the KO’olau round was punctuated with heavy showers.

JAS - back injury which has affected a nerve in my foot! Hope you enjoyed Pasatiempo? Determined to get there one day!

Final comp of the year for me, 'The Last Blast' at my away club. First competitive outing with the new irons and they behaved very well, a steady 71 in HORRIFIC conditions. There was a steady 3 club breeze which for this particular course is nothing special due to its exposed location. However, add torrential rain into the equation for 9 holes... to be honest i'm very pleased with that score!!! Finished 2nd (not for the first time this year), and walked away with a nice big bottle, which should help in recovering from the severe chill I've also come away with. One of the few rounds I've played that I've really wished i owned waterproofs!

Havent got out much due to the rain(feet are improving though) but we played our new year charity scramble on saturday.Some really good golf from the group for 12 birdies,had three(missed) eagle putts on the 5's but all missed a reltively straighforward 7 foot putt on 9 which would have won it as it turned out.Always good fun.I was left with the last drive and put us in all sorts of trouble in the trees but got out of it with a Mickleson style lob to save par.happy new year to all lets hope the weather improves soon

cancelled today and this saturday due to snow.getting frustrating tbh.
painting the shower room

surprisingly we had 11 main greens on last weekend. had a good game on saturday, and played fairly steady - my partner and i blew away our opponents 5&4 without doing anything particularly spectacular. main positive was my short game seems to be coming on a bit. enjoying chipping with my new irons, practicing mainly with the pitching wedge and 8iron and had a couple of nice up and downs to save halves. course has been closed yesterday and today due to snow, but i've got invites to play Kilspindie on Saturday afternoon, and Dunbar (for the first time) on Thursday so shouldn't be affected unless we get a particularly heavy hammering of snow between now and then. good times.

Pretty good attempt at the monthly medal at local simulator. Back 9 at Torrey Pines South has been selected for this month's edition (same as last year; not my favourite venue it has to be said).

All 7(?) hits with the driver went the right sort of direction without any noticeable sidespin ("unfortunately" even the one I tried to draw, but it ended up OK), the worst being a trademark semi-"Skydrive" - but it still went 50 or so yards further than Tiger Woods' worst effort off the tee this week. Generally played the long game rather more consistently than I normally do, with only a few gripes - all of which I think were thinned shots from short-ish range (wedge from 100 yds, 30-odd yd greenside bunker, 19 yd chip). If I'm honest having reflected a bit, putting probably was a bit on the poor side, but the technology is set up with 8 ft gimme range so there's a generous room for error.

Anyway, came out with chest puffed out slightly for a change [is this the derivation of the word "chuffed"?].

However, having logged in and checked my scorecard / compared to last year's, I find that I have exactly the same gross score (and am worse by 1 on net basis). Stupid game does my head in.

Still, good to swing a club a bit seeing as we're unlikely to be playing any real golf this weekend...

Played port royal in Bermuda today -- was so windy that my glasses blew off my head which made it really hard to focus on my game, in more ways than one ! What a fabulous course though, and only 110 USD. Very few people out there so we got around in 3.5 hrs -- could never do that at Bethpage.

Winter League over 12 holes at my home course - cold and and bit soft underfoot after the snow. 2 dings but level par for the other 10 holes... story of my game in general.

11 holes open at our place at the weekend. Battered by a 16 & 17 handicap who were +2 gross after the 9 we finished (lost 3&2). Only needed to be 9 under myself to have matched them. Think I was a good 15 or 16 off that mark.

Drove prodigiously. Irons were horrific. Wedges were poor. Putting was mediocre. Last time I try not drinking the night before a game!

Still - better than an afternoon of screaming bambinos and/or shopping.

Definitely on for tomorrow at Ruddington grange nr Nottingham we have a reciprocal deal with them and a number of other clubs no green fee,and Burton on saturday in a comp .cannot wait after the last few weeks

Ruddington grange was very good to be fair albiet windy.Biggest problem was finding the entrance sat nav took us to the rear gate.well designed course in a beautiful old manor house grounds.Kitchen staff even stayed on for a hour to do our meals great service.Will definitely be going back in the summer.

A tale of woe. First round of Mail on Sunday. Playing away (again) at the same club that put us out last year. I was out 4th. Was never behind, 1up after 1, 2 up after 3, still 2 up after 9. Halved the 12th in birdies after nearly holing my second. Won the 13th against the only shot he got. Won the 14th. 4 up 4 to play. Then started playing the man instead of the course! He missed the green on the short side so I put in a careful 8 to the front of the green. He got up and down, I three putted. He birdied the next from off the green. I slapped my second in the water at the next (the only really bad swing I made all day). Final hole, par 3, he's hit a real slap that just cleared the water but left a chip straight up the hill. I've hit a solid 8 at the right hand bunker with the wind off the right and it stayed there. He chipped up to about 2 feet.

The bunker I was in hadn't been raked for weeks. It was compacted wet sand. I was only about 20 feet from the hole. Tried a little cut underneath the ball and the club hit what was like clay under the ball. Finished about 25 feet past. Needless to say I missed, he holed, game halved. The only redeeming thing was that we had already lost the match! Even if I'd won, it would have been a 3-2 loss.

The worrying thing is that I have now managed to fritter away 4 up leads twice on the same course. Last year in a final, we were 4 up in a foursome and I had to hole a tricky 3 footer for the half! Not good. Still, I've done it to others in the past. Sometimes it's easier coming from behind than hanging on.

Been trying to get our first daily mail game sorted now due on the 16th.
Decent 9 holes today with 5 others .did 2 3 balls counting 2 from 3 on each hole and won handsomely.5 pars 4 bogies pour moi and giving another try to a set of Mizuno MP32 must be 8 years old but feel really good if/when the ball hits the spot.

Played the county alliance meet today at western golf course a really super municipal hawtree design built 100 years ago by leicester council-but budget cuts and all bit tatty bunkers ropey clubhouse needs a coat of paint.But good turnout reasonable weather ,decent breakfast,good track.We discussed at length the problems financial facing clubs and highly likely one of the two municipals will close in the next few years.Strangely one of the issues is that the 'private'clubs locally including my own are much more open now and they are sucking in the customers.Would be a real shame to see the demise I played there 40 plus years ago queing on a saturday morning for hour or more to probably hit a couple of good shots that got me hooked

cancelled today at 9 am just enough snow lying on the semi frozen greens to be a problem.probably Ok by 11 but we had a shotgun scramble set for 9.
went to mcdonalds for breakfast followed by M and S to pick up a wedding gift
found myself in the foodhall for a few tasty items and came home and painted two radiators,rock and roll.Another dissapointment of a poor winter lets hope the rugby provides some decent entertainment later

Wettest ground ever. Tricky ball striking. Ground way round. One world class approach to 6 inches very very nearly slam dunking for an eagle. Evenly fought match all the way round, before an unlikely 15 footer for a dog on the last to win one up. Two games left in the league, mid table obscurity long since secured...

A victory for the Wahey Tw@t It©navyblueshorts school of golf today. 73 playing off 6 for 39pts was enough to win the comp. Obviously all that phaffing around is no good in the rain!!

Five birdies including one on SI 1 and knocked three shots off my winter eclectic putting me top of that as well. Definitely worth the soaking and the beer in the bar tasted doubly good.

Wahey tw@t it indeed.

Good work, spread the word!

This is getting ridiculous still havnt played the daily mail cancelled again yesterday ,home course is shut and thursdays county meeting already called off.And in a few weeks time I am going to be asked for £800 plus to 'play'golf.
This winter is going to hurt club finances

Burton on Trent was very good ,real old school members club. harry colt design
super layout surprising how many of these really good courses there are and keep themselves to themselves busy members only clubs.We payed 5 singles loosing 4-1.My man was off 6 and played to it seeing me off on 16th with a birdie shame cos I had just holed a tricky downslope bunker shot for the par.
I wouls have recieved a shot on 17 so close but he was a very tidy player only missed a couiple of drives and was wide enough to still have a shot whearas I had to pitch out sideways twice.Couple of other interesting things my oppo turned out to be deeply religious and under no circumstances would play golf on a sunday,drank water.Other minor thing we were hoping to get some breakfast when we arrived on saturday morning but the bar and catering didnt open until 12 noon.Bar manager and his wife apparently paid thick end of £60k
and they only open when the course is open(no winter evenings)and 12 midday starts.

Managed to get out twice this week very contrasting tuesday at home almost t shirt weather 40 points with birdies on 14 and 15 starting to see the benefit of a few games.Thursday 5 layers of clothing at Humberstone in the county alliance.ball going nowhere in the cold and no run.hit a 3 wood into 155 yd par 3 and 2 drivers to a 370 par 4.Managed 38 points better ball 3/4 handicap with a decent back nine which is reasonable golf but never in the prizes in this game.Some pairs recieving 18 shots each.These winter matches cost just £16 each and go into mid april so good opportunity to play all the courses in the county and bit of social golf

dyna,
Very envious; only six to eight weeks away here, can't wait.
PS: Nice work on the holed bunker shot - plenty of hole-outs from decent distance but never canned a sand shot.
PPS: Any more of those 60 grand clubhouse jobs around do you suppose? Sounds just the ticket.

Kwini

Have holed bunker shots twice, once for double bogey!! and once in a club foursomes match. I put the ball in the bunker for two, my partner left it in there (his club went straight under the ball and almost left it exactly where it started). I holed for 4 (par). Our opponents who were on the green for 2 were so stunned they promply 3 putted for a 5. I have no idea what happened in the remainder of the match (so we probably lost!)

This is good.County alliance pro am this morning 9 am at The Leicestershire probably the best course in the county.Previous home to a Mr G Wolstenhome.
Pitched up lovely day coffee and bacon butty but no partner checked the messages and hes had to pull out through work .So im playing as a single but they gave me a 'partner'from another 4 ball Dan Bailey decent pro..Started on 10 with the other pair holed out and the old boy slipped on the side of the green gone in agony probably broken ankle.No phone no for the club on the card so I jogged back to the clubhouse well out of breath took a buggy back and brought him in waited half hour for ambulance only to hear they could be another 1 1/2 hours so decided to go to the hospital ourselves.Just got home not a happy boy.Heard the sad story also today of a local club pro got himself into bother by taking cash from a couple of clubs he was with ,dissapeared from home found a week later in a doorway in london,mental breakdown,sectioned and locked in for his own good.Very sad and from a well respected family with a long tradition in the game

What did you score on the 10th though Dyna?

Bogey 2 points so good start.Its a lovely course Ive only played once before really looking forward to this for weeks, putting green was like glass.
hes broken a bone apparently owes me a drink.

Been out for a couple of 18 holes over the last week, after missing a total of 8 months with injury. Fantastic, and weather today just balmy! What a wonderful world.

Straight from work to the course today.

Parked up, few clubs and carry bag out of the boot (Driver, 3wood, hybrid 6,8, PW, SW Putter). Straight to the first tee (no warm up) wahey tw@t it......stuffed behind a tree.

Pal shouts from behind did I fancy some company? Sure says I it'll be a excuse to reload. He's off 5 me 6 so I'm happy to play off level of 2,2,2. 12 holes later I'm 2 under and have handed him a dogs licence!! A double and 5 pars later I've taken his coin in under 2 1/2 hours total.

Moral of the story, make sure I hit one warm up drive in the nets!

Played today rubbish but what a delight to get out in the sunshine with the
guys greens still a bit ropey but a bit of run and conditions starting to chamge for the better.

County alliance this morning at Hinckley GC.Very good nick stayed dry just but awfully slow greens only a couple of weeks away from probably very good.Good news and bad managed to drop my bank card out on the course but fortunately someone picked it up.hit the hole on the 150 par 3 12th left a 6 inch tap in and then found that hole was not included in the two sweep.
Decent morning and some reasonable ball striking every week getting nearer the better conditions

First card in hand round on Sunday. Cue much winter match play aggression hanging on and little card management. Still, yellow tees and a CSS of 67 (-3) to look forward to, only need 72 to match it...

Don't forget your 1 stroke buffer roller.

Texas scramble next w/e, then non-counting bogey comp the following. Heading up north at end of month for my first counter.

Aah the buffer. Good point.

But enough about my first three holes!

First outing with a card on Sunday per the above. Flurries of snow and a biting easterly wind.

Swing was like a shatered windscreen, all over the place. One decent drive all day. Very hit and miss putting and chipping. Irons were a struggle. Third shot of the day a left handed wedge from my knees from under a tree. Sixth shot of the day a 4 iron last seen bouncing off down a road perpendicular to target line. Not a good day. +13 (off 5) with 4 birdies out of nowhere.

I say not a good day, it was good to be out there and it was a massive giggle as all of us (all 3 of us are off 5) were utterly terrid. 31 points topped the group, I had 29 in second and the other guy was lagging back on 24ish.

Golf is back!

Roller

It'll surely go "non counting"? When is spring going to arrive? I had 33 points and scrubbed the last! Suspect 35 might have got me in the frame. I was greenside in two. Had a nasty little chip from a muddy lie over the bunker and took 4 more from there (no shot)! Improved 2 on the eclectic though so not all bad.

Hope so, although from what I understand someone went to the handicap sec and told him there should be no handicap freeze [no pun intended] over winter (ie reduction only).

H sec said it was a golf union directive the guy said it wasn't. From what I heard, the h sec was wrong and as long as the relevant criteria are met, all comps are qualifiers.

Oh and I think spring is due around July 15th this year...

you can't declare a competition reduction only. it can only be reduction only as a result of the css being above sss+3. i believe there are guidelines for declaring competitions non-counting under certain circumstances though.

Stoneliegh deer park GC today(no deer there now)Delightful near kenilworth in warwicks and the course set in god knows how many acres of an old stately home.Lovely old statuesque trees and the river Avon running through the course.Quite open but sits very well in its surroundings very few bunkers due to planning restrictions but bunkers wouldnt look right in that setting.Only very slight critiscm is six par 3s and a couple have ridiculously small greens from 200 plus away.One of the 3s is a punt down a steep hill which need you to take a four man buggy down to the green and then back up to the next tee which is next to the par three tee.never seen that before.The owner is old school pro John Reay who ran a golf range and one of the first big golf stores in coventry for many years he made a point of seeing us before and after the round real gent bearing in mind it was a free round on a reciprocal deal with our club.Hiddem gem.

No birdies, three trebles, two doubles and a DNF on 18. 25 points and a second to last finish. TBH had no expectation this week as had a formal dinner on Friday and associated consumption of rouge may have interfered with application of talent.

Burning it up early season point two in two.

There were actually some very good shots in there (a whole heap of poo as well obviously). Had a 913 D3 on demo, which I did mostly hit well enough to convince me to buy one.

Just 9 holes today and it was wet wet wet.9 of us so we went for 3 x 3 ball texas scramble 3 drives each.Split up to keep the handicaps roughly the same.thought we had done ok with 2 birdies and 7 pars couple of 10 foot chances we didnt make.Winners were 6 under for the 9 very good golf considering the conditions.

The courses here were clear, frozen but clear, a couple of weeks ago, a few inches last week and now an effing blizzard! Temps near freezing so it's what the forecasters call "heart attack" snow for those shovellers amongst us. (If you see no "Notes" you'll understand.)

Surely put our season's start back a week or so, especially with no temps approaching seasonal norms thru the end of the month. Not nice.

Got a coating at the weekend which seemed to have completely melted before another 6 inches of snow last night. frozen rain this morning has now turned to snow. Psyching myself up to shovel at the moment. Not looking good for opening day next Friday.

No snow on the home course and playable if you don't mind very slow greens, very dormant grass and highs in the low 50's (F). Kwini's pre-round routine a requirement to play in such conditions, IMO.

Fortunately, I'm in Las Vegas where it's in the high 70's!

Just a reminder of the exact same date last year bearing in mind the snow/wind/temperature today.we played Collingtree park with our b team preseason day out in shirtsleevees and I had to put a sweater over my head for the last few holes as I was sunburnt!
Played a mixed greensome yesterday in the county alliance decent off the tee but a four putt and several three putts kept the points down.My partner was the county girls junior organiser,and she has only 60 odd young ladies on her watch from 30 courses not very good at all only 2/3 per club.

Having just re-started golf after injury for several months my wife took me to Spain for a couple of weeks practice and golf in some sunshine. Looks like we couldn't have picked a better time - b..... Cold when we got back last night! Played some decent golf and a few courses we hadn't been to before. Very impressed with Las Colinas, and pleasantly surprised with Haciendo del Alamo. Nicklaus course which I had heard mixed reviews for, but really enjoyed it.

Hi Puligny, good shout on going for some warmer weather to aid your recovery. Haven't heard anyone say a bad word about Las Colinas. It was the highlight of our trip last Sept too. It's perhaps not jaw droppinly awesome but it has a few great holes and is a good varied test. Troon Golf seem to have their finger on the pulse of customer service too which always helps.

JAS also played 18 today at home course in Hampshire. Nice Downland course, so chalk base means it drains very well. Expected freezing cold, but reality was extra layers being peeled off, and even the odd shadow cast as sun tried hard to break through.
Di you play Lo Romero, not far from Las Colinas? Excellent design, needs a bit of money spending to improve condition, but overall we thought a bit of a find and vg vfm.
Hoping to catch up with D4s shortly at Remedy, and then his new course, Hayling. If you fancy Remedy I'll let you know date once we've fixed something.